Annie Oakley Offered The Army An All Female Sniper Team

The lady with ties to Wyoming's Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley had once offered to put together a team of lady sharpshooters to fight alongside men in American wars. No one ever took up Oakley on her offer.

America was on the brink was war with Spain during the turn of the century. As a nation, we were not sure if that war was going to happen or not.

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Annie Oakley sent a letter to President McKinley:

Dear Sir,
I feel confident that your good judgment will carry America safety through without a war. But in case of such an event I am ready to place a company of 50 lady sharp shooters at your disposal. Every one of them will be an American, and as they will furnish their own arms and ammunition will be of little, if any, expense to the government.
Very Truly
Annie Oakley

There were a few other women who managed to get into combat. One such was Deborah Sampson who spent 17 months disguised as Robert Shurtliff, a male Continental Army soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Women sharpshooters in the military were not introduced until 2015 when the Army Ranger School finally began accepting female applicants. Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver made history when they joined 94 of their classmates to become the first two women to graduate.

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Today women make up about 15% of the U.S. military. Back in Oakley's time, women were not allowed in the military at all.

This video from Today I Found Out tells the life story of Annie Oakley and offers a bit of detail on her offer to form an all-female sharpshooting team.

The video also offers the life story of Anny Oakley, in detail.

She was an amazing woman who overcame a lot on her rise to fame.

After she and her husband died it was found that they had given away most of their fortune to charities.